Hypnosis: Ancient Secret Of Healing (Part - I)

Hypnosis, also known as Hypnotism, has captured the imagination of the people since ages. Most of us don’t know exactly what hypnosis is and how it is done. Many facts prove that the origin of hypnosis therapy lies in India. Let us explore it some more.

While sitting idle sometimes, few thoughts hit the mind like thunder bolts. What if there was a way to control what is within the reach and then what is beyond limits? Is it possible to control the thoughts that our mind create? It is not hard to guess that we are leading into the mystical lanes of hypnosis. The human mind is a precious gift, that has been bestowed to us. ‘The mind’; well it can make you ‘Albert Einstein’ and likewise it can turn you into trash within no time. It is a power that can be used and at the same time misused. Let us begin with understanding the mind first. We do not get hypnotized but our mind does. In simple words, hypnosis or hypnotism is a process of controlling the mind and making it do as you feel.

The origin of hypnosis might be found with various facts. But, the usage of hypnosis as a health therapy seems to be originated in India. In ancient India, Hindus used to bring their sick ones to the temples, where the priest or a person related to this art used to take the sick person into sleep for the process of hypnosis. In ancient Greece and Egypt too, the concept was same.

Let’s read in detail on go back in the history to find more about hypnotism.

History Of Hypnotism

The history of hypnotism dates back to a really long time. It is believed that it has been in practice ever since the birth of the civilizations. However, no one can tell the exact date of time period when this mystical art originated. Known by different names, history of hypnosis or hypnotism takes us to different countries like Egypt, Italy, China, and India.

In India, hypnosis or hypnotism is called the ‘Sammohan Shakti’. During the ancient times, the Gurus and the saints used to practice this art for hypnotizing self and others. It is also used for better concentration during meditation. It is believed that we all have the extraordinary power to control our own mind and that of the others. All we have to do is look inwards for all the questions. And, what makes it even more is the fact that all these powers are inborn in all the human beings and all we have to do is to understand the self.

James Braid is an important name associated with the history of hypnosis. Born in the year 1795, he was a Scottish physician and surgeon. The term hypnotism was used by James Braid as an abbreviation to the neuro-hypnotism which means nervous sleep. Taking inspiration from his work the word hypnosis or hypnotism was also derived later. In his study, he laid emphasis on both vision and thought. He believed that both vision and thought power is needed to focus the attention of a subject. He is also attributed with writing the first book on hypnosis which was published in the year 1843, which was called the ‘Neurypnology’. His book got him another piece of information in the form of a feedback; when an unknown person from Edinburgh, who had long resided in India, informed him that many eastern saints do self-hypnotism. This information brought some modification in his phenomena of the causes and nature of mesmerism as well as hypnotism. His work provided inspiration to a lot of scholars who studied this subject later.

What is Hypnosis?

Now the question arises, what exactly hypnosis is? The word hypnosis is derived from the greek word ‘hypnos’ which means sleep. It is a psychological state when you have reduced awareness in general, to focus on the mind on a specific or dominant idea. It is heightened state attention when you do not let your mind wander. It is a stage of complete trance. Whatever we do we are governed by our conscious mind and this mind gives us the power to select and reject things by observing and examining. Once we are detached from this mind, we get more open to the suggestions and thoughts that we receive. Hypnosis does exactly that. Here, it must be understood that there is nothing supernatural or magical about hypnosis. It is entirely a logical method to control the mind.

The Concept Of Mesmerism

Franz Anton Mesmer was an Austrian doctor who discovered that he had the power to cure people with his intense inner power. He believed that all of us could develop this power which lies within all of us. He had different methods to cure a variety of ailments that were there in the masses during that period of time. In one of the methods, he used to fill up a tub with water that had iron filled bottles in it. The people held the bottles which protruded out of the tub. People reacted differently to these treatments. For example, some people went into deep sleep during the treatment while the others found themselves violently charged. He said that we all are connected to each other through an energy flow which he called ‘animal magnetism’. Mesmerism is a word which was used in France to describe the techniques used in the animal magnetism. However, in reality, all the effects that Mesmer claimed was due to hypnosis. People believed in what Mesmer said and this faith along with suggestions from Mesmer healed them.

The Healing Powers Of Hypnosis/Hypnotism

It is believed that regular and correct usage of hypnosis or hypnotism can heal a person. It can be used to heal both mental and physical ailments. It is well known fact that it can help people get rid of various addictions like smoking, drinking and even drug abuse. All it does is controlling the mind. In other words, it can be said that it is nothing but the highest form of inspiration.

At the end, it can be said that we have a lot unexplored in the field of Hypnotism. We are endorsing any idea here but giving a subtle suggestion that we should sleep over the idea and make judgments based on practical experiences.

So, this was all we had in general about Hypnotism. In our next part, we will be discussing about the process of Hypnotism. We will tell you in detail how hypnotism or hypnosis is practiced. Till then, stay tuned to AstroSage and have fun!